LeBron James scored 34 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers assured themselves home-court advantage through the Eastern Conference playoffs with a 109-94 defeat of the Atlanta Hawks Monday. James produced a dominant performance in the first three quarters before sitting out the final quarter as Cleveland laid down a marker for the postseason with an impressive win that guarantees them top spot. James scored 19 of his 34 points in the third quarter to help Cleveland take a 90-75 lead before teammate Kyrie Irving led the Cavaliers home with 35 points. Irving reeled off 11 of Cleveland's first 12 points in the final period, leaving James safely with his feet up and already contemplating the playoffs. Kevin Love chipped in with 10 points and 14 rebounds while Matthew Dellavedova also scored 10 points off the bench. Kent Bazemore topscored for the Hawks with 23 points but was restricted to just two points in the second half as Cleveland took control. The defeat left Atlanta at 48-33, firmly entrenched in a tight battle for the third, fourth and fifth seedings in the East with the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat. Magic 107, Bucks 98: Ersan Ilyasova scored 22 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead the Orlando Magic to a 107-98 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks at the Amway Center. The Magic (35-46) led from start to finish in their final home game of the season. The Bucks (33-48) will close the season Wednesday against the Indiana Pacers. Hornets 114, Celtics 100: Jeremy Lin turned Asian-American Night at TD Garden into a night of his own. The former Harvard star ran wild during the second quarter, scoring 19 of his 25 points in the second quarter, 17 of them during a 31-3 explosion that led his Charlotte Hornets to a 114-100 rout of the Boston Celtics in an important game for playoff seeding in the Eastern Conference. Wizards 120, Nets 111: Ramon Sessions collected 21 points and 12 assists in three quarters as the Washington Wizards blew an early 20-point lead before pulling out a 120-111 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. Bulls 121, Pelicans 116: Playing point guard for most of the game, Jimmy Butler scored a team-high 23 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer from the right wing with 2:40 left, to lift the Chicago Bulls to a 121-116 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie king Center. Rockets 129, Timberwolves 105: Needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, the Houston Rockets did their part, emphatically. James Harden led all scorers with 34 points as the Rockets won their second game in a row, blasting past the Minnesota Timberwolves 129-105. Thunder 112, Lakers 79: Kevin Durant scored 34 points and Russell Westbrook collected his 18th triple-double to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 112-79 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. Mavericks 101, Jazz 92: Deron Williams scored 23 points, Dirk Nowitzki dropped in 22 and the Dallas Mavericks clinched at least the seventh spot in the Western Conference playoffs with a 101-92 win over the Utah Jazz. Kings 105, Suns 101: Seth Curry scored 20 points and added a career-high 15 assists, and a watered-down Sacramento Kings team held off a late rally to beat the Phoenix Suns 105-101.
